Abstract
This paper discusses some key differences between the child-rearing values of American-English culture and Hong Kong-Cantonese culture. Evidence is drawn from contrasts in the child-rearing-related speech behaviour of people from the two cultures, including the American English-speaking author and his Hong Kong Cantonese-speaking partner. Speaker-oriented cultural scripts written in the natural semantic metalanguage are developed in an attempt to articulate and explain these differences in verbal behaviour. It is proposed that a major contrast between the two cultures is whether or not parents believe children can or should determine for themselves what is appropriate to say and do.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 376-392 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Journal of Intercultural Communication Research |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 8 Nov 2013 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2013 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Cultural Studies
- Communication
User-Defined Keywords
- Child-rearing
- Hong Kong Cantonese
- American English
- Cultural Scripts
- Natural Semantic Metalanguage